AEM, John Deere Respond to Biden's Planned Executive Order Over Right to Repair Equipment

After more than a decade of legislative proposals, the Biden Administration is preparing plans to allow equipment owners to have the right to repair their own equipment.

First reported by Reuters Tuesday, President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order in the coming days to encourage the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to limit the ability of farm equipment manufacturers to restrict tractor owners from using independent repair shops or completing some of the work themselves. 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responding to the report on Tuesday, saying the effort would help farmers "fight back against abuses of power by giant agribusiness corporations and give farmers the right to repair their own equipment how they like."

Farm Journal reached out to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), as well as John Deere, regarding the planned executive order. Both AEM and John Deere couldn't comment on the reported executive order without confirming details first, but did provide the following statements.

"With respect to a farmer's 'right to repair,' equipment manufacturers support a farmer's right to repair his or her own equipment," said Stephanie See, Director of State Government Relations, with AEM. "Our industry provides diagnostic guides, service manuals and other tools and information for repairs and maintenance. We are proud of the work our industry does to protect our planet and safeguard our customers' well-being, and will never compromise on safety and environmental protections.”

"Deere supports a customer’s right to safely maintain, diagnose and repair their equipment," said John Deere in a company statement. "When customers buy from John Deere, they own the equipment and can choose to personally maintain or repair the product."

John Deere also pointed out less than 2% of all repairs require a software update, which means the majority of repairs farmers need to make, can be made themselves.

"We lead our industry in providing repair tools, spare parts, information guides, training videos and manuals needed to work on our machines, including remote access for technicians to provide long-distance help," said Deere. "John Deere does not support the right to modify embedded software due to risks associated with the safe operation of the equipment, emissions compliance and engine performance."

Deere and Company's stock fell on the Reuters report Tuesday.
 
Biden's planned executive action comes as a bill in Congress, the Fair Repair Act, would allow the FTC to penalize companies which block consumers from repairing products by limiting access to replacement parts.